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Democratic mayor accused of antics so wild she deserves

her own TV show: 'Real life Parks & Rec situation'
The Democrat was accused of promoting herself on taxpayer's dime under the guise of advertisements for 'senior
services'
By Hannah Grossman Fox News

Published January 5, 2024 5:00am EST

Chaos erupts in Tiffany Henyard meeting over expenses: 'This is a dictatorship'

Mayor Tiffany Henyard's meeting erupts in chaos between her and trustees as she faces questions on spending.

A mayor of a small, unassuming town on the outskirts of Chicago where the median
income is $24K per year, has been living the life of a royal as she is deemed by critics to
exhibit antics that are both corrupt (meaning, what they consider an overuse of her power)
and hilarious to the point where she belongs on a comedy show like "Parks and
Recreation."

Tiffany Henyard, a progressive Democrat, was elected as the Mayor of Dolton, Illinois in ,

the April 2021 municipal elections. She is also the supervisor of Thorton Township. For
those positions, she brings home more than the state's governor – nearly $300k. She calls
herself a "Super Mayor" and frequently posts messages that suggest that "God chose
me."

In one of the greatest examples derided by critics, Henyard put an ordinance in place that
if she lost her election to be mayor in the upcoming elections, the future mayor's salary

would be reduced from over $200K to $25,000. But if Henyard wins, the salary would
remain the same, Fox 32 found .

The move was seen by critics as a way of scaring away her competition.

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Democrat Tiffany Henyard is considered one of the funniest politicians for her antics in a small town outside Chicago.

Henyard has met criticism from her trustees on how she spends the town's money – who
have demanded receipts for the charges on the town's card – and they have accused her
of running up the tab for expenses without approval.

"Not only are the residents in the dark, but the trustees are in the dark," said Trustee
Tammy Brown. In response to criticism such as this, Henyard posted a picture of her
trustees and called them "haters."

"When your haters try to block blessings but G-d has his hands on you," Henyard wrote on TikTok. (Screenshot/TikTok |

Tiffany Henyard)

One of the biggest criticisms came from expenses charged to the town regarding a trip to
Las Vegas that was supposedly for a conference. The airfare for the trip alone cost
thousands of dollars, including over $3,000 for one roundtrip ticket.

In a viralclip from WGN that some dubbed "the single greatest interview of the year,"
Henyard was put on the spot about credit card expenses. Her responses shocked some
critics who believed it was too funny to be real.

Henyard responded by humming "mmmm" when asked whether she had been to Las
Vegas by a local reporter.

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"What is that? Did you fly first class to Las Vegas?" asked Ben Bradley, an investigative
reporter at WGN9 regarding the $3,000+ flight.

"Any other questions?" Henyard said.

Ben Bradley askked Tiffany Henyard about an alleged trip to Las Vegas. (WGN9)

"So you're not going to answer how taxpayer dollars are being spent, that seems odd," the
reporter responded.

"I just answered your questions," Henyard said.

"You said that you wouldn't answer a question about Las Vegas," the reporter said.

"You asked me a question and responded," Henyard said. I

Bradley had some follow-up questions about the nearly $400 spent at "Hot N' Juicy
Crawfish" in Las Vegas and other dinners near the Las Vegas Strip that cost hundreds of
dollars each.

To date, the mayor has produced two music videos that feature city workers, such as
police dancing or boosting her image by being in the background as she lip-syncs the
songs.

Tiffany Henyard gets her hair and makeup professionally done. (stylemebrandon Instagram/screenshot) |

The small-town mayor's Instagram reflects that she frequently uses a professional stylist
to help her with her wardrobe before making public appearances at a community event or
town meeting with her trustees.

Dolton has a little bit more than 20,000 residents in the town.

She also has a makeup artist and hairdresser whom she uses before public appearances
and photoshoots that are used for the county's billboards (more on that later). It is unclear
how and if those vendors are compensated for their services and how much it would cost
to fund dozens of outfit selections and professional styling. When Fox News asked how
the services were paid for, the mayor did not immediately respond.

Tiffany Henyard (right) is styled by her fashion consultant, (middle) Henyard with her hair stylist, (left) Tiffany Henyard in
an outfit chosen by her stylist. (stylemebrandon Instagram/screenshot)
|

In addition, the Democrat "supermayor" of the town of a handful of residents has been
criticized for spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on security.

Henyard can be seen arriving at town events for seniors or for a Christmas celebration like
a celebrity as police officers and security take her hand and escort her in and out of the
backseat of a black SUV.

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Image 1 of 2
Tiffany Henyard escorted in and out of her vehicle by security. (Screenshot/Instagram Stylemebrandon) |

Fox 32 reported that when one of their reporters tried to ask the mayor how she spends
taxpayer dollars, she was removed by security.

"Dane Placko asked Henyard a few months ago about her use of tax dollars, she was
quickly hustled out of the room by armed security," the outlet said.

Her use of security mystified some of her trustees who couldn't fathom why it was
necessary.

"Why? Why would you need a security detail?" Trustee Tammy Brown said.

Tiffany Henyard films a music video with police officers in Illinois. (Tiffany Henyard) (Tiffany Henyard)

A year after her election, she faced a recall effort in which a majority of the votes wanted
her cast out. The recall effort failed when a court invalidated the results.

One of the reasons the recall effort was initiated was because Henyard hired a convicted
sex offender as a code enforcement officer — "a job in which he goes into Dolton homes
and businesses to inspect them and make sure they are up to code," according to a Fox 32
report .

"Oh my god. Don't they supposed to do background checks before they allow
these people to in these kind of positions?" a resident said.

In response to the failed recall effort, Henyard showed up to the next board meeting
blasting a disco song and began dancing on the podium.

"How y'all doin'?" she said, blaring into the microphone during an Oct. 3, 2022, meeting.

Tiffany Henyard outfits professionally styled by a fashion expert. (stylemebrandon Instagram/screenshot0 |

"Ain'tno stoppin' us now," she sang. "We on the move! Ain't no stoppin' us now! We on the
move."

It was one example of the many antics that raised eyebrows.

Jack Mac from Barstool Sports said he believed Henyard was "the funniest most corrupt
politician in the United States in America" for antics he believed were an overuse of power.
He also said that he believed Henyard was a real-life comedy skit and there was a "real life ,

‘Parks & Rec’ situation going on" in the town.

In addition, Fox 32 found that taxpayers were responsible for billboard images of Henyard
with language included that broadcast city services.

The local Fox 32 reported "One says ‘Fresh Produce,’ another ‘Senior Services,’ and
,

another simply says ‘We Offer General Assistance.’ There's a phone number, but you
wouldn't know what it's for unless you can read the tiny letters."

The "Thornton Township paid more than $10,000 for the vinyl signs themselves and more
than $12,000 to Clear Channel Outdoor Advertising for one month's rental of the
billboards," Fox 32 reported.

Henyard's signs were accused of using taxpayer dollars for self-promotion.

An Illinois election attorney with 50 years of experience, Burt Odelson, told Fox 32, "When I

first looked at it, thought what's she running for now? Because that's what it shouts out."
I

"This is a blatant attempt to promote herself politically," Odelson said. "The township
should not have paid for these if they did. And I'm sure they did."

"Well, first of all, I didn't know anything about them," said Thornton Township Trustee Chris
Gonzalez.

Henyard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hannah Grossman is a Reporter at Fox News Digital.

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